#231: Jungle Fever [Luxtizeria; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
Malaria, an infectious and often deadly disease spread by mosquitoes, is ravaging cities and other settlements near @@NAME@@'s swamps and wetlands.
The Debate
1. "Malaria is a highly dangerous disease with no cure," says Dr @@RANDOMNAME@@, one of the world's leading epidemiologists. "If we're going to control it then we've got to put money into researching a vaccine and new antimalarial drugs. We should also set out to provide prevention and awareness programmes, the whole caboodle. With a targeted and well-financed approach we can make an attempt to eradicate malaria from the face of @@NAME@@! But we're going to need @@CURRENCY@@s. Lots of them."
~This increases Healthcare spending and taxes:
2. "Scientific research is all very well and good," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Health. "But doing that AND everything else? It's just too expensive! There are other diseases we're fighting you know! Putting all our eggs in one basket is just asking for trouble. Instead of setting our sights on the parasite, I think we should kill off the mosquitoes by draining their breeding grounds, namely the swamps, bogs, and other stagnant waters."
~This will cause a shortage of rice due to drainage of rice paddys.
3. "Don't drain our swamps!" growls @@RANDOMNAME@@, waving a picture of a Will O' the Wisp with the caption: 'Don't let their lights die out'. "These are incredibly diverse ecosystems, hosts to hundreds of different species, both plant and animal! Don't let something like the current malaria epidemic cloud your judgement! I suggest we move everyone away from affected areas and just let nature be. If there's no one to infect then there's no problem right?"
~I am not sure of the result of this action.
4. "There will be absolutely no need," interrupts @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Normack Pharmaceuticals. "I've got the solution for you right here, it's called DDT which stands for Death, Destruction, and Total for those pesky flying fiends! Our product may have some alleged 'bad' impact on the environment and, uh, human health, but come on: it's cheap and highly effective against mosquitoes. Eradication's never been so easy!"
~same as 3
5. "DDT is also banned in several countries," remarks @@RANDOMNAME@@, one of your dourer advisers. "Do you really think we can destroy this disease? I don't. Whether we try to cure the disease or kill the mosquitoes it will just come back in an adapted form. What we should be doing is educating our citizens on preventative measures like mosquito nets and less environmentally dangerous insecticides. If anything, it's way cheaper."
~unsure of the result, I think this may result in the Government taking a "take care of it yourself" stance
My goals are to lower taxes and boost economy.
Thanks
